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Erie Otter Head Coach Kris Knoblauch is all business while Connor Crisp smiles for the camera on the bench during the second half of play against the London Knights at the Erie Insurance Arena on March 13. The Otters lost the game 2-1. JARID BARRINGER/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Erie Otters head coach Kris Knoblauch developed a feel for his team in the latter half of the 2012-13 season.

The feeling-out process is over, he said. The first full day of training camp Tuesday, and every day after that, will seem as intense as the final game of the season.

"To play this game, it takes a lot of commitment. It takes a lot of work ethic," he said. "Why would we wait until September or October to get that going?"

Knoblauch enters his first training camp in Erie with a new coaching staff -- assistants Chris Hartsburg and Vince Laise, as well as goaltending coach Cam MacDonald. But a transition period, for coaches and players, won't occur.

"We're getting to work immediately," Knoblauch said. "It will be a lot of work."

He wants to play aggressive, up-tempo hockey in the 2013-14 Ontario Hockey League season. Knoblauch won't stray from that style as he did a season ago, when the team's struggles led him to test different approaches on the ice.

"We just tried to feel this group out, see what would complement them," he said. "I'm not going to change it (this season)."

"The system I like to play ... will be the best for this group," Knoblauch said. "There's only one way to play for this group."

So the Otters will start the season practicing the same way. The players figured that, even without any previous experience in a Knoblauch-led camp.

"When Kris came in (last November), he really made an effort to try to make practices a lot more competitive," defenseman Adam Pelech said. "It would be the most competitive practices that I've had (each time). So I definitely expect that in training camp. It's going to be tough like always, maybe a little tougher."

There are few open spots available on the roster. The Otters return 21 players that were with the club a season ago. They also acquired overage forward Michael Curtis, and signed four prospects -- 2013 draft picks Dylan Strome, Jesse Saban and Cole Mayo, as well as 2012 pick Travis Dermott.

So players still have to earn ice time. That begins this week at Mercyhurst Ice Center.

"I'm sure they'll run a good camp and make us earn our spot," said overage forward Dane Fox, who missed his first camp with the Otters last summer while recovering from a broken bone in his foot. "Kris is just as hard mentally on us as (former head coach) Robbie (Ftorek) was last year. I think he'll want to push the guys to see how bad everyone does really want it."

New coaches should bring a renewed energy to this club. Players are excited to experience their first camp under this staff, defenseman Troy Donnay said.

"We all know what Kris is about, and we really like him," Donnay said. "We like the way he coaches, the way he conducts his practices. We like his game style."

Although the players figure to face some surprises at camp, Donnay said, "Everyone is prepared for anything. Anything they throw at us we'll be ready for."

Ultimately, Knoblauch said, this team needs to face every challenge confidently this season. That mindset needs to start now.

"We need to have the mentality that we can be a very competitive team," Knoblauch said, "a team that can compete with anybody throughout the league on any night and most nights win. Once you get that swagger and belief in yourself, then as a group you have a lot more success."

VICTOR FERNANDES can be reached at 870-1716 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/goeriehockey. Read the Shootout hockey blog at GoErie.com/blogs/shootout and post comments.